


Yuri Plisetsky & the Glowing Rock Person

by dandelion_san



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Adventure, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Stardust Fusion, Drama, Friendship, Gen, Humor, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-05
Updated: 2017-08-08
Packaged: 2018-12-11 15:41:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,078
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11717403
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dandelion_san/pseuds/dandelion_san
Summary: A star falls in the land of Faerie and Nikolai Plisetsky picks him up, much to his grandson's consternation.





	1. The Thirteenth Birthday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He did not know how long he laid curled up in the crater before that old man found him.

The night Yuri turned thirteen years old, the small house he shared with his grandfather shook so hard that some of their cups and plates fell from their place in the cupboard and shattered. Yuri, who was asleep at this time, rolled from his bed with a shout and deliriously wondered if the world was ending.

But as sudden as this event was, it ended soon after, leaving him blinking owlishly in the darkness of the room.

Cautiously, he disentangled his legs from a blanket that had fallen with him and stumbled to his feet. There were still some faerie lights left from their last venture into the market and he called one to him as he made his way to the hallway. The little round light floated after him, emitting a gentle silver glow, casting shadows on the walls that moved like ripples.

“Grandpa, are you okay?” Yuri asked loudly. He shuffled his feet, his heart pounding in his ears. “Grandpa?” His small hands trembled.

The sound of a long drawn out groan reverberated and Nikolai popped his head out from his room. Yuri let out a long sigh as his heart settled from its previous fear. “I think I just lost ten years off my life,” his grandfather grumbled, but scrutinized him with a careful eye. “You’re alright, then?”

“I fell off my bed,” Yuri said helpfully with a cat-like grin. “I think I got a big bruise on my hip. Maybe a cut. Do you think I’ll have a scar?” He sounded very pleased by this and Nikolai decided that Yuri was probably fine.

They both walked toward the kitchen where Yuri shouted in dismay at the broken shards of glass and porcelain. Nikolai carefully stepped over to one of the windows and looked out between with a thoughtful expression. “I don’t think it was an earthquake,” he said, gesturing for Yuri to come to his side. “See there, beyond the trees? There’s a fading glow. And I think I heard a loud sound before the shaking.” Indeed, despite the cloudy and dark sky, there was a faint glow.

Yuri suddenly had a strange feeling and he tugged at his grandfather’s sleeves. “Are you going to go out there?”

“Just for a little while. Stay here, Yura.” Nikolai grabbed his coat and shoes, ignoring Yuri’s incessant tugging. Nikolai had once seen something similar to this event before in his childhood. Just once before.

“No! No, no, no, noo _ooo_ ,” the boy whined. “What if it is a witch? Or…or worse?!”

At that, Nikolai paused and then grabbed a shotgun from above the fireplace and winked. “I’ll be right back, yes?”

Despite Yuri’s howling, Nikolai went outside to venture into the forest.

 

* * *

 

 

Nikolai Plisetsky grew up in the most crime-ridden town in Faerie, the youngest boy in a family of nine. The seventh child of a seventh child, but there was no great destiny waiting him, no quest to fulfill.

He did not look back at this time with much fondness as poverty had turned his father to the drink and his mother often shut herself in their room to sleep away her misfortunes. His siblings barely remembered his name. He did not remember theirs. He clawed his way through these years with determination and willpower alone.

Nikolai has never regretted a single action that had brought him to his point, an old man living in a small peaceful village with his grandson.

But one night, when he himself had just turned thirteen, the town was awakened by the sound of a roar and bright fire streaking across the sky. The ground had quaked.

And there, lying inside a crater in the outskirts of town was the most beautiful woman young Nikolai had ever seen in his life.

She barely lasted two days. The last time Nikolai saw her, her heart was torn out of her chest as she crumbled to dust, a trophy for the governor.

 

* * *

 

 

When his grandfather came back, he was not alone. Yuri regarded the stranger in their home with great suspicion and a little bemusement.  

He was a young man of undiscernible age, with dark hair and eyes the color of aged whiskey. He was barefoot, clothed in silvery robes unlike any Yuri had ever seen before. It moved like water or air. But he was holding one of his arms carefully, obviously injured, and the rest of him was quite torn up.

Surely, not a witch, and not a regular villager either. Was he a nobleman from a faraway land, perhaps?

There was an expression of misery on the young man’s face as he looked around their home.   

“A star,” said Nikolai, finally.  

“Huh?” Yuri responded, breaking from his observation and looked up at him. Then he registered what Nikolai said. His eyes widened slightly and his voice hitched. “ _Huh?_ ”

“Yura, there is a _star_ in our home.” Nikolai took a deep breath, nervousness making him tremble. “Oh dear.”

Yuri turned back to the young man who was now watching them. His eyes looked glassy as if he were about to cry.

“Um,” said the star. “My name is Yuuri. It is nice to meet you?” He did not sound very sure and Yuri was outraged. How dare he hold the same name as he!

The star pressed his lips together immediately after his statement, and Yuri did not miss the way they trembled.

Yuri liked to say that this was the point everything started to go downhill.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is Stardust-inspired. As I haven't read the book in a while, I've decided to take some liberties with it as I won't follow strictly to it.


	2. He Wanted to Go Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri wallowed in self-pity for he did not choose to fall.

The star did not know how to do anything and was generally useless as he did not even know how to cook or clean. Yuri, who was an only child and not used to sharing his things, came to resent him. More often than not, he whined to his grandfather about his presence in the house.

“He breathes too loud,” he snapped one morning, after a bad night. “I can’t sleep at all! Grandpa, why can’t he sleep on the floor of the sitting room instead?”

Nikolai pulled his ear sharply in response, leaving Yuri to yelp in pain and rub at it. “Yuri Plisetsky, that is no way to treat a guest!”

“He’s a thing, not a guest,” Yuri muttered and scrambled away before Nikolai could pull his ear again. He was terribly bitter that they had to sacrifice his most comfortable blankets to make the bedding on the floor of his room for the star who had refused the original offer of the bed for he did not want to impose any further.

(“I am an old man so I shan’t give you mine,” Nikolai had said, eyeing Yuri. “But the boy is young.”

“Excuse me!” Yuri had yelped.)

He stomped his way to their meager medical supplies and grabbed a bottle of salve and a roll of bandages, before stomping _very_ loudly to his room.

“Get up, star!” he said, before kicking in the door.

The star sat up from where he was lying on the floor, blinking rapidly. “Oh, good morning,” he said quietly. Yuri scowled. Besides taking his blankets and sharing his name, he was also frustrated by the thing’s attitude. The star was constantly gloomy and constantly uncertain. Grandpa said he was heartsick for his home, but surely their home was much better than the coldness of space.  

Yuri set the supplies down and kneeled next to him, taking his arm. It was not broken, probably, however it was mottled with ugly bruises and a large cut and Nikolai worried the wound would fester and invite infection. He carefully removed the previous bandages, applying salve to the arm and wrapping it in the new ones.

The star watched him for some time before losing interest and looking out the bedroom window. “Thank you,” he said distantly when Yuri was finished dressing the arm.

Yuri glowered. “You better be grateful. Medicine costs a lot of money.”

The star did not say anything else and so Yuri huffed and left, making sure to slam the door.

 

* * *

 

 

It was perhaps a week after the star’s arrival when Nikolai pulled Yuri aside, gravely serious.

“Yuuri’s clothes are not going to last much longer and we need him checked over by an actual doctor soon. We will have to go to the market today,” he said.

“So?” Yuri frowned, irritation blooming in his gut.

Nikolai sighed and looked around carefully. He turned back to the boy and bent down to eye level. “Listen, this is very important. It is… rare for stars to fall, and it is just by luck that our neighbors assumed it was an earthquake. But it is perhaps fate that Yuuri landed right in the forest by our home.”

Yuri could not help but let a smile break his frown, surprised laughter escaping from him. “You’ve always told me that fate is for those who do nothing and we make our own destinies.”

“Yes I did, but sometimes even the universe aligns things just right,” Nikolai said and stroked Yuri’s blond hair as the boy gleefully basked under his attention. The old man breathed deeply and prayed the universe would give them good fortune. “Will you promise me something?”

“Promise what?”

“You must never _ever_ tell anyone who Yuuri is. Do you understand?”

Yuri took a step back, curious. “Why not? He could go live with a rich man, maybe even with Lord Popovich.” He silently hoped for this for it would mean a return back to their everyday life with just him and grandfather.

Nikolai tensed, eyes growing frosty. “He will be killed, Yura. They will kill him.”

As much as Yuri hated him, he did not hate him enough to wish for him to die. His eyes widened and he paled. “But why?” he asked, frightened.

“For his heart,” Nikolai answered gently. “A star’s heart is more valuable than anything you will ever know.”

 

* * *

 

 

Yuri must have been uncharacteristically quiet for the star actually turned from his observation out the window to stare at him with concern.

“What’s wrong?” He gestured to him. “Yura?”

“It’s Yu _ri_ ,” Yuri said automatically. The star, who still did not understand the concept of nicknames, merely tilted his head in bemusement before noticing the bags that he was carrying.

“Did you go somewhere?”

Yuri ground his teeth in frustration. “Yes we did, thank you for noticing.” He threw a bag at the star’s face. “It’s new clothes because you’re disgusting. Also, there is a doctor coming and you can’t tell anyone that you’re a star.”

The star frowned. “Well, I know that,” he said. He ruffled through the bag and pulled out soft fabric, a dark shirt in his size. His face softened, eyes gentling in a way that Yuri hadn’t seen. He looked up. “Thank you.”

The sincerity of it caught Yuri off-guard and he stammered as red rapidly blossomed across his face. “JUST CHANGE,” he finally managed to say and ran out the room, ears steaming.    

 

 


	3. To Be Human

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was not so bad, Yuuri thought. He could be happy here.

Yuri was not very impressed by the doctor who had excessively praised Nikolai for “taking in a stranger in these harsh and trying times”, given Yuri a condescending pat on the head, and also proclaimed the star to be healthy (if not a little touched in the head). He did give them more salve and bandages for half the price for the star’s injured right arm, adding that it would probably heal up in a week or more.

The star did not seem to be too impressed by him either, if the furrowing of his brow and his pursed lips were any indication, but he made similar expressions on a regular basis so Yuri couldn’t be sure on how he was truly feeling. In fact, it was difficult to tell what he was even thinking as he did not speak much to Yuri or Nikolai, except for the time he made an entire conversation out of apologies after he disastrously attempted to help with the chores. 

Most of the time, the star spent his time gazing out the window or lying outside near the fields and looking up. After the first few days of this, Yuri clenched his fists and sternly sat himself next to him.

The star did not even look at him and Yuri opened and closed his mouth several times, trying to figure out what to say.

“What an odd existence,” said the star, finally breaking the awkward silence.

“H-huh?” Yuri’s voice broke and he coughed. “I mean, what?”

The star rolled his head to the side, looking up at him. His eyes were bright, reflecting the night sky and the other stars scattered above.

“When you’re up there,” he gestured with his uninjured arm, “you feel neither cold nor warm. But here! I am constantly feeling something.”

Yuri had often privately thought about what stars did and what it was like to live up there in the sky. He considered these thoughts for a moment and then bravely decided to go with it.

“What was it like? Was it any different?” he asked.

The star hummed wistfully and nodded. “I suppose it was quite different. My siblings and I – we mostly watched over this world dancing, singing, and shining. It was a very carefree existence. But now I think so many things I have never thought of before, like why water feels like water or why the sky flashes and roars during a storm. And I feel afraid all the time.” He let out a long sigh. “Why am I so afraid? I have witnessed the birth of so many civilizations and heard the wishes of many kings. There is nothing I haven’t seen. I thought I’d spend more centuries like that but then…” He trailed off with a frown.

“You fell,” Yuri finished without thinking.

Fortunately, the star did not seem offended and instead smiled softly. “It was my time.”

Yuri did not ask any more questions and sat with him in silence, hoping to never have to experience being so far home.

 

* * *

 

 

Despite the star’s long existence, there were many things he did not know and food was one of them.

Yuri quickly solved this problem by shoving a loaf of bread in his mouth and the star, looking more surprised than either of them, wolfed it down quickly.

“Hunger is so _strange_ ,” he said with wide eyes, having scoured through their pantry thoroughly. Yuri watched him warily, making sure to keep him from the stove as he had learned weeks ago that the star should not be allowed near it. “What else can I eat?” His eyes gleamed, their odd color brightening and his lips curled into a small smile. He hiked his sleeves up, digging through the chests. He yelped when he pulled his healed arm a little too harshly into one of them.

He let out a moan when he discovered some dried meat and hissed in betrayal after he tried to bite into an onion. Yuri bit his lips, wondering if he should stop him soon if they wanted to have dinner that night.

But he didn’t have the chance to act on that thought when he noticed something very odd happening in the dark pantry, particularly something odd happening to the star.

With a scream, he darted out of the room. “Grandpa, help!” he shouted, frantic. Nikolai was not inside so he ran out, arms flapping wildly. “Grandpa, something is wrong with Yuuri! Help! Yuuri is gonna die!” His heart pounded in his ears and his eyes stung.

Nikolai, who was working in the fields, got up quickly and ignored the pain in his back as he threw down his tools and ran toward the house.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, taking Yuri by the shoulders. “What’s happening?”

With a panicked sob, Yuri pointed toward the house and blubbered about the pantry and not meaning to poison Yuuri.

Nikolai let himself be dragged inside and into the pantry. With dread, he opened the door, Yuri behind him, only to see the sight of the star sitting on the ground, confused, and in the process of shoving an apple into his mouth.

“Wha-?” he started.

“He’s _glowing_ ,” Yuri shrieked and pointed. “Yuuri is glowing! He’s gonna _die!_ ”

The star, embarrassed, quickly swallowed and wiped the fruit’s juices from his hands and onto his trousers. “Glowing?” he squeaked and then looked like he wanted to cry himself.

Nikolai couldn’t help himself and burst into loud peals of laughter, sinking to his knees and pounding the floor with fists. The star jumped and Yuri looked even more distressed.

“Bahaha! Yura, no,” Nikolai managed to get out between gulps of air. “He’s – _ha!_ – not dying!”

Yuri blinked away the last of his tears as he tried to process this statement. “Not dying?” His face pinched together, thinking hard. “But he’s glowing? Because… he is a… star…”

Nikolai watched with great interest as his grandson’s face became red from neck-up and horrified realization enter those green eyes.

Meanwhile, the star covered his face, and desperately tried to control his glowing to no avail.

Clenching his fists, the smaller Yuri stomped his tiny feet and roared. “You – YOU PIG!” He grabbed the nearest object, which was an onion, and chucked it at the star’s head before turning tail and running away.

 

* * *

 

 

The star still did not know how to do anything, having not learned how to cook despite his voracious appetite, and being a disaster with a broom. Yuri, an only child and still not used to sharing his things, hated him even more.

After one particularly bad night, he complained loudly to his grandfather over breakfast, “He won’t stop glowing at night! I can’t sleep at all! Grandpa, why can’t he sleep in _your_ room instead?!”

Nikolai pretended not to hear him, raising his newspaper higher to his face. Yuri gritted his teeth, debating on risking an ear-pulling, when he paused at the new arrival to the kitchen.

“Good morning,” yawned the star. “Is there any food for me?” He looked hopeful, eyeing Nikolai’s plate. The old man, without even looking up, pulled it closer to himself.

But Yuri had already prepared a plate of ham and eggs and shoved it rudely at the star. “Enjoy,” he snapped.

“Thank you,” the star said and Yuri had to squint his eyes as the room got brighter.

“Will you _stop_ that?!”


	4. The Mysterious Arrival of Otabek Altin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri had the strangest feeling that they would meet Otabek again someday.

One day, Yuri grabbed the star’s hand and a butterfly net, and dragged them out to the fields near the forest by their home. He had put on a funny hat with a wide brim and had forced the star into carrying a heavy backpack that clanged ominously when he walked.

“Where are you taking us?” the star asked sullenly. He was still not used to the heat of the sun or the calluses that were forming on his feet. He eyed the butterfly net with great suspicion. “Are you trying to catch faeries again, Yuri? You are lucky they have not cursed you yet.”

“I am _not_ ,” said Yuri, outraged. “And that was a long time ago!”

“Two months is not long at all,” the star replied, amused even as his feet ached in protest.

Yuri loudly disagreed for two months was a long time for a boy, after all. He was secretly embarrassed for that incident had happened because he was tricked into believing that the lesser faerie creatures could grant wishes, once caught. Instead, he had gotten blue eyebrows for an entire week.

The star tugged on their joined hands, forcing Yuri to stop. “So no faeries?” They paused at the edges of the forest where the branches and roots spilled over like hands scraping across the dirt. The star peered into the dense thicket, nervous for he could not see well.

Yuri let go of his hands and brought the net out like a sword. “Nay, my good sir. We are going on an adventure!” he announced pompously. Then he shrugged, voice dropping back to its normal tones. “Everyone says that the will-o’-the-wisps are near here. That’s why I brought the net and the jars, so we can make our own faerie lights.” It would certainly last much longer than regular faerie lights, and save Nikolai a bit of coin.

The star groaned. “Yuri! So we are catching faeries!” He set down the backpack and fanned himself, disgusted by the sweat drenching his shirt. He never leaked like this back when he still danced in the skies.

“They are not _actually_ faeries,” Yuri protested. “We are just… taking them from faeries.” He crossed his arms with a scowl when the star refused to look as excited as he.

“Shouldn’t we wait until the sun sets then?”

Yuri refused to answer, not wanting to admit his slight fear of the dark.

“We will be cursed for sure,” the star said, but then sighed and hefted the backpack back on. He threw Yuri a warning glance. “But just this once. Nikolai will not be pleased if I leave you alone.”

 

 

 

The star was tense all the way through, although he was not frightened of the large insects like Yuri was. But the forest was not as dark as they had both initially thought with the few sunbeams that managed to reach the leaf-strewn ground.

“Haven’t you been here before?” Yuri complained, heart pounding from nearly walking into a large spider web. He was starting to regret this venture. “Last year, back when Grandpa picked you up?”

The star shook his head. “I was in a lot of shock that time,” he said. “I was also too miserable to notice much of what was happening.”

Ahead of him, Yuri ducked his head and bit his lip. The star – no, Yuuri – was not miserable anymore, probably. At least, he did not seem to be hit by melancholy as much as he was the first month or so. Not that Yuri cared _that_ much, but surely Yuuri would let him and grandfather know if he was unhappy with his current life, right?

Oblivious, the star swatted at a flying beetle that drew too close and huffed, blowing sweaty bangs out of his eyes. “I do wish to go back now,” he said.

Yuri did not listen, stopping right in front of the star. He held out a hand, forcing him to stop.

“Shh, look!” he whispered. He pointed through the trees. “A light!” And there, bobbing gently near their path, was a flickering orange flame with a shadow near it.

“Oh no,” Yuuri said.

Yuri ignored him. He readied the butterfly net and without a second thought, charged forward with a roar. “Give up the wisp, faerie, or I’ll knock you right out!”

The star scrambled after him, panting under the heavy weight of the jars. “Yuri, wait!” he called after him. “Do not shake the poor creature down like some thug – you will get us _cursed_ – YURI.”

Yuri did not wait for the star to catch up before he leapt into the bramble. He was agile and quick, managing to bring the net up and down toward the light gracefully. But when he drew closer to the flame, what he saw was not an ugly faerie creature holding the flame captive, but the face of a surprised, handsome older boy holding a lantern.

The boy said, “What-“

Yuri did not have the time to pull back or even stop before he barreled into him and sent them both to the ground before the other could finish what he was saying.

“Owww _w_ ,” Yuri hissed, feeling the scrapes on his arms and legs.

“Yuri!” The star had finally managed to catch up to him and rushed over to pull him up. He checked him over frantically. The star winced at his injuries and wished he could take them away. They were both distracted by a groan on the ground from the other boy who Yuri had crashed into.

The boy stared at them both. There was wary surprise lingering in his dark eyes as he recovered from his fall.

“What are you doing here?” Yuri finally asked, accusing.

The star put a hand on his shoulder. “Peace, Yura.” He turned to the boy and helped him up. “I apologize for my young friend. Are you from the village?”

The boy faltered, a little dazed. “I – well, yes. Are you two travelers? I do not think I have ever seen you in the village before.”

Yuri shoved the hand off his shoulder and took a step forward, jabbing a finger to his chest. “Well I’ve never seen _you_ before. And what are you doing, carrying a lantern in the middle of the day?”

The boy blinked. “Day?” he said. He looked down, at the light in his hand. Then he looked around, staring in bewilderment at the little patches of sunlight around them. “This is…strange. Was it not just night?” His lips turned down at the corners, as he searched the bramble around them. “Where is the path? Where is my _horse_?”

The star tilted his head thoughtfully. “Perhaps we should take care of your injuries back inside the house,” he said slowly, obviously thinking that Yuri must have hit him too hard.

“But the _wisp_ ,” Yuri whined, refusing to feel guilty. But he relented and threw a glare to the older boy. He could see the irony in how they had gone to the forest and found a stranger, just like with Yuuri, but he did not find any humor in it.

 

 

 

Yet, by the time the three of them had crowded themselves into Nikolai’s home, Yuri had warmed up to the stranger who treated him kindly despite him being a ‘Russian’, whatever that was.

“And who is this?” Nikolai asked, after fussing over Yuri’s injuries. “You look like you need a good meal in you, boy. And some bandages as well.”

“This is Otabek Altin,” Yuri piped up excitedly. “He’s a _foreigner_.”

“I live in the village at the other side of the woods,” Otabek said, politely. “It seems I got a little lost.”

“He thought day was night,” the star added in, concerned.

Yuri rolled his eyes. They had argued a lot over their walk back over who had seen whom in the village and Otabek must surely be confused for everyone knew there was nothing on the other side of the forest, but for the sea itself. His grandfather must have thought the same because he eyed Otabek dubiously and stroked his beard.

“And where were you going?”

Otabek shrugged. “Liverpool. It is a bit far, but there is a man there willing to give me an apprenticeship.” He gave a small smile. “He is an extraordinary man, on the likes of Leonardo da Vinci if I do say so myself. But obscure, so it really is my luck that I came across him and he was so willing to take me on at my age.”

Yuri burst out laughing. “Da Vinci! What a strange name. Who is that?”

Surprised, Otabek turned to him and said incredulously, “You don’t know who da Vinci is?”

“No?” Nikolai shook his head as well but the star looked thoughtful.

“I think he made a wish on me once,” he started to say, but was interrupted by both Yuri and Nikolai who talked over him frantically.

“Tell us more!” Yuri shouted.

“Perhaps he is from a different kingdom,” Nikolai suggested. They both threw Yuuri a glare.

Otabek furrowed his brows and shook his head. “Please, I really think I should have a map. I lost mine since it was with my horse.”

Nikolai said, “Well, we should have an old one around here somewhere.” He told the three of them to wait and went to his room, emerging a minute later.

Yuri took the time in between to observe Otabek. He was surprisingly stoic-face for all that it was easy to tell his emotions. Yuri thought him a little strange, but exciting for his talk of ‘electricity’ and machines. Maybe he was from Stormhold. Yuri has heard many things about Stormhold.  

Otabek unfolded the map and studied it in silence. “This is not England,” he said finally. His fingers were curled so tight that Yuri feared the map would tear. “This – this is not a map. Is this a joke?” He looked up, eyes fierce. Nikolai frowned.

“I won that map off a goblin, boy. It is certainly not a joke.” He puffed up in pride. “It is faerie-made and changes as the land does.”

“A goblin. Faeries?” Otabek took a deep breath and closed his eyes. “I am either surrounded by madmen or I am mad myself.” He opened his eyes. “Where am I?” He sounded so lost and unsure.

“Rosehill,” Yuri answered this time, naming their village. When Otabek looked uncomprehending, he added, “Cloudhold?” Otabek looked even more confused. “Faerie! You are still in Faerie!”

Otabek closed the map. “I think,” he said, “I think that I am _very_ lost.

 

 

 

Otabek stayed with the Plisetskys for only three days before setting out for Stormhold with Nikolai’s map.

“Perhaps you stepped into a faerie ring or crossed the path of an Unseelie,” Nikolai had said. “It happens, sometimes. But there is a place in Stormhold where the veil between Faerie and the Other Side is blurred. A place called Wall, I believe.”

The boy put on his most staunch expression, trying in vain to hide the trembling of his hands.

“Thank you,” Otabek could only say.

Nikolai shook his head. “Just be safe and do not trust any other maps. The land is whimsical after all. Stay on the paths and stay clear-headed.”

“Yessir.”

Yuri lingered nearby, miserable for he had become attached to the older boy in those three days and his fantastical stories of his world. Railroads, telegraphs, and _science_. It was exciting, yet Otabek seemed more interested in the world of Faerie like the airships. The boy was an inventor and artist and had drawn pictures of his described trains, the steam engines, and gears of mechanical men he called ‘automatons’.

Otabek shook Nikolai’s hand and turned to Yuri, giving him a fond clap on the shoulder. He nodded towards the star as well.

“Thank you,” he said. “You have been kind to me and given me hope.”

They watched him go from the doorway. When he was halfway down the path out of their village, he turned one last time and waved.

 

 

 


End file.
